children Archives - NorikoArt

Lockdown Cartoon #31: Angel

nori — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 10:39:25 +0000

When Naomi finds feathers, she holds them in her hands and flaps her arms as if she is a bird.

She has told me she would want to be a bird when she’s grown up. But the other day, she told me a different story.

“I had wings before I was born.”

I can never tell what Naomi says is true or just an imagination. But… what if children were angels? I often feel there is more to be taught by children than to teach them. Whether children are angels or not, I know for sure they are great teachers.

Here is this week’s cartoon.

You can see all my past cartoons here

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Lockdown Cartoon #15: Dandelions

nori — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 15:27:52 +0000

“Naomi, stop it!”

I heard Ichi’s voice from garden when I was doing the washing-up. I looked through the kitchen window to see what was going on outside.

Naomi was hitting dandelions with a stick. Ichi said, “Poor dandelions.” So Naomi stopped hitting dandelions.

I was happy Ichi is growing into a boy with a kind heart. I was also glad Naomi listened to his brother. Well, I thought she listened…

To record what it’s like to be at home during lockdown with young children, I’m documenting my everyday family life with cartoons.

Here is today’s cartoon.

Noriko’s picture books are available here or on Amazon.

The post Lockdown Cartoon #15: Dandelions appeared first on NorikoArt.

Lockdown Cartoon #13: Let’s Exchange!

nori — Wed, 27 May 2020 23:30:33 +0000

My 7-year-old son gets plenty schoolwork during lockdown. I sit next to him and do my work. The other day he looked at my work (I was drawing a picture of fluffy wooly socks), and said, ‘It’s not fair.’

So we exchanged work. He started drawing (he is a really good drawer), and I had a look at his work. I encountered a word ‘fronted adverbials.’ I didn’t know what it means. I asked my husband. He didn’t know either. He is English by the way.

I wouldn’t have thought homeschooling the 7-year-old would be this tricky. The bright side is, I’ve been learning a lot through his schoolwork during lockdown and I feel a bit smarter than before.

To record what it’s like to be at home during lockdown with young children, I’m documenting my everyday family life with cartoons.

Here is today’s cartoon.

Noriko’s picture books are available here or on Amazon.

The post Lockdown Cartoon #13: Let’s Exchange! appeared first on NorikoArt.

Lockdown Cartoon #12: Salad Boy & Meaty Girl

nori — Wed, 20 May 2020 15:16:07 +0000

In modern Japanese, there are terms ‘herbivorous men’ and ‘carnivorous women.’ ‘Herbivorous men’ is a term for men who are gentle or introvert. ‘Carnivorous women’ is a term for women who are proactive, or women who know what they want.

The terms ‘herbivorous’ and ‘carnivorous’ remind me of the world of dinosaurs rather than humans. So I will refer to ‘herbivorous men’ as ’salad boys,’ and ‘carnivorous women’ as ‘meaty girls.

My 7-year-old son is a typical ‘salad boy’ and my 3-year-old girl is definitely a ‘meaty girl’. They are polar opposites but they are very close. This is really helpful especially during lockdown. I wouldn’t bear it if my kids were always fighting at home. I’m very lucky. Apart from occasional quarrels, Ichi and Naomi get on amazingly well.

To record what it’s like to be at home during lockdown with young children, I’m documenting my everyday family life with cartoons.

Here is today’s cartoon.

Noriko’s picture books are available here or on Amazon.

The post Lockdown Cartoon #12: Salad Boy & Meaty Girl appeared first on NorikoArt.

Lockdown Cartoon #4: Birthday 2

nori — Sat, 18 Apr 2020 20:08:19 +0000

Will coronavirus lockdown strengthen the family bond? Or not? To record what it’s like to be in the lockdown home with young children, I’m documenting my everyday family life with cartoons.

Here is today’s cartoon.

Noriko’s picture books are available here or on Amazon.

The post Lockdown Cartoon #4: Birthday 2 appeared first on NorikoArt.

Lockdown Cartoon #3: Birthday 1

nori — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 10:03:46 +0000

The children are with me at home all the time. This is probably a once in life opportunity. To record what it’s like to be in the lockdown home with young children, I decided to start cartoon series about my everyday family life.

On my birthday I decided to make a cake with my children. We put ingredients on the table. But we had only a few eggs so we couldn’t spare any…

Here is today’s cartoon.

Here is a great cake recipe I found several years ago: Sugar-free Carrot and Date Cake. It’s naturally sweet because of dates and raisins. This is my kids’ favourite cake!

Noriko’s picture books are available here or on Amazon.

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